• NASA and Axiom Space signed a mission order for the second private astronaut mission (Ax-2) to the International space station (ISS), set to take place in Q2 2023.

• Four astronauts (including a spacecraft commander, who is a previously flown NASA astronaut) will spend 10 days aboard the ISS where they will perform in-orbit activities in coordination with space station crew members and flight controllers on the ground.  

• Axiom is obtaining services such as crew supplies, cargo delivery to space, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily usage from NASA through the mission-specific order, in addition to accommodating up to an additional contingency week aboard the ISS. 

• The order also specifies the capabilities NASA will get from Axiom, such as the return of scientific samples, capability for last-minute return of two cargo transfer bags, and up to 10 hours of the private astronaut mission commander's time during the docked mission to complete NASA science or carry out tasks for NASA.

<ul><li> AnalystQuickTake: Axiom Space is currently developing ISS’ successor, the World’s first commercial space station, and these private missions will lay the groundwork for the Axiom station. Axiom mission 1 (Ax-1), the world’s first private mission to the ISS, took off in April 2022 aboard a SpaceX crew dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket with 4 crew members which included a professionally trained astronaut hired by Axiom. Although Axiom’s space travelers are paying for the individual tickets (estimated at USD 55 million per passenger), Ax-1 crew members had to do their own activities (which included 25 scientific experiments during the stay) and underwent much of the same training as NASA astronauts. Post-Ax-1, NASA changed requirements for future private astronaut missions to ISS which required such missions to be led by a former NASA astronaut.